Riblett Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Hello everyone, A bit of news on the personal side. My partner and I are moving to Ft. Lauderdale FL on Monday. He recently got a job down there after the huge round of lay offs here in Raleigh. We have known for a few weeks, but it has sort of sneaked up on me. We are going to be living in Sunrise, and he is working in Ft. Lauderdale. I just got my application to state test as a medic in FL approval letter, so I will be taking 'the test' less than a year after I got my paramedic cert. I don't have a job lined up down there yet, since no one will even talk to me without a FL medic's license. Plus it is mostly fire based and I am not a firefighter. At this point, it looks like I am going to have to dust off my Nurse Aide certification (which transfers readily) for a while. Yay! I am really nervous because I don't know a soul there. We went down there to find an apartment and sign our lease. The area seems nice, but totally foreign. There are lizards there bigger than my cat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gypsy Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 What part of Ft. Lauderdale? My husband and I used to live down there in the Hollywood area. It is nice. Though I'll warn you Spanish is very much needed. If you want send me a PM. I know moving to a new area can be scary. Went through that when we moved to Tampa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireMedic65 Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 have fun, good luck. it's a nice area Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VentMedic Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 There are a couple of private ambulance services that utilize Paramedics for IFT and sometimes CCT. For 911, yes you will need to be a FF in South Florida. Except, I believe AMR in Key West which is 3.5 hours away still do 911 with 48 hour shifts. Collier County EMS is 1.5 -2 hours away on the west coast. The EDs may be your best bet especially with your CNA and Paramedic certs. However, don't get too discouraged if you can not find the job of your dream right now. We are just going into the off season and jobs are scarce when the snowbirds leave. In the Fall, our population will triple and the jobs will be back. If you did take a CNA or tele/monitor tech job in the hospital that also uses ED techs, you would have a great opportunity to get first chance at the next opening. You might even try the cath labs if you like cardiac well enough. You could also get yourself known by taking classes in the education department and meeting the staff to let them know you are around. Managers will usually ask staff if they know you. BTW, Florida also uses PCTs and you might be able to quallify for that cert. At least you will be doing more skills and have the opportunity to work in several different areas. It is also interesting that their education/training in hours is sometimes longer then the Paramedics especially when taught at the same "career school" And, learn some Spanish. Good luck! One more thing: There are lizards there bigger than my cat. Wait until your cat sees the Palmetto bugs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riblett Posted May 17, 2009 Author Share Posted May 17, 2009 I have a chemistry and A&P class lined up starting as soon as I get there at Palm Beach CC. Unfortunately none of the nursing schools down there will take my A&P from here. There are two EMT-P to RN bridge programs at the community colleges, which are about a year long. You just test out of some classes if you are an EMT-P or LPN. Since I have an AS already, I had most of their general ed stuff done. But I have to take another A&P. I am a little concerned about doing this, because I might miss some of the nursing theory stuff which could hurt me when it comes time to take the NCLEX. I checked with the FL BON and they are fully accredited and everything. If anyone is familiar or knows someone who had done them, chime in. There aren't many full time jobs at the hospitals right now, but several part time ones. I applied for an EMT-P ED tech, but my FL certs are still pending. So I put that on the app. I also applied as a medic at the local prison. I'll have to start somewhere. We'll see what happens. I think I'll sign up for the con-ed Spanish for the health care provider class too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VentMedic Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Did your A&Ps include a lab or was it part of the Paramedic program? Some college programs here have the overview A&P dumbed down for the Paramedic course which is ridiculous because it transfers nowhere. Broward Community College has a good RN program. It is also an easy transition to the BSN programs. You are right about not taking too many short cuts when it comes to nursing theory. It may make the other classes a little more difficult. It is easier for LVNs since they already have some the care planning and theory background. The women's prison? BCI? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tskstorm Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Congrats on the move! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riblett Posted May 18, 2009 Author Share Posted May 18, 2009 (edited) Vent, My A&P was not the quick one for paramedics. It was called General Anatomy & Physiology (BIO 163), which was 5 credit hours and had a lab. But the nursing programs require the two course sequence that are 3 credit hours each plus a 1 credit hour lab. Blah! I am hoping that most of what you are testing out of is basic nursing skills. I think you still have to take some of the nursing theory courses. I am hoping that my paramedic training (since it was an associates degree) had a little more foundation to it than many con-ed or certificate programs would. There was a lot of public health, health care theory, psychosocial, life span, in depth lab values, etc. Stuff that at the time I thought was pointless Edited May 18, 2009 by Riblett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustdevil Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 I am a little concerned about doing this, because I might miss some of the nursing theory stuff which could hurt me when it comes time to take the NCLEX. I think that what you miss with a bridge programme is more practical than theoretical. The shortcomings would probably tend to show up more in practice than on the NCLEX. You can pretty easily tell when a new grad is a medic-to-RN transition grad because they are pretty clumsy for a longer period than most grads. If you have a good bit of NA experience, this shouldn't be a problem for you, since the simple time-management and organisational skills that you learned there are what most medics have no clue about. You'll do fine. Congrats on the move. You'll be close to me now! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mateo_1387 Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Congratulations to you and Mr. Riblett ! Now I have a friend to stay with when I go to Fl. JK I have no advise for ya, as you know where I am located. Please, do not be a stranger, and let me know if I can help you any. Good Luck Ol' Friend ! (and Mr. Riblett too) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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